Broiled Agave Nectar and Honey Grapefruit

Broiling grapfruits is extremely easy, and it imparts an added sweetness to the fruit. If you know someone who won't eat grapefruits and complains about the bitterness, this recipe might change their mind.

Just glaze the fruit with a sweetener and place under the broiler of your oven for a few minutes. The combination of the tart and slightly sweet glaze makes it a winner.

I serve it as a side for breakfast or during Sunday brunches. My hubby loves it. Or you can serve it as a first course as I used to get in my middle school cafeteria in France.

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat the broiler of the oven on the low setting.

Wash the grapefruit and kumquat. Cut the grapefruit in half horizontally. Cut the kumquat into thick slices.

Sprinkle some sugar in the raw on the sliced kumquat. Caramelize the sugar using a blow torch. Repeat the same procedure on the other side of the kumquat slice. If you don't own a blow torch you can place under the broiler of your oven at the same time as the grapefruit.

Separate and cut each segment of the grapefruit using a small serrated knife. It's very easy, just follow the membrane around each segment. This step is necessary to loosen the fruit and make it easy to consume.

In a small bowl, mix the agave nectar with the honey. Melt the mix in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Spread the agave honey glaze on the flesh of the grapefruit using a tablespoon. Sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Place the two halved grapefruit on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler of your oven (or a salamander) for about 5-6 minutes. The sugar will start to caramelize and be bubbly.

Remove from the oven. Accentuate the broiled portion using a blow torch if necessary. This step is optional and is only for aesthetic purposes.

Decorate with a slice of caramelized kumquat and top with a halved maraschino cherry.

Tips

I was inspired to make this because I was in Florida this week and they had beautiful, ripe grapefruits available at local markets. I learned that ripe grapefruits have far less bitterness than the less-than-ripe ones we usually find in supermarkets. Though grapefruits contain the bitter compound naringin, much of the bitterness in the fruit can be eliminated by selecting very ripe produce. Look for farmers' markets in your area.

I always refrigerate the grapefruit a few hours ahead so that when you serve it, there is a nice combination of the warmth of the agave/honey glaze with the chilled grapefruit bottom.

Agave nectar, sometimes called agave syrup, is a natural sweetener. In France, it's called Agave honey. Unlike honey, agave nectar has a long shelf life and does not crystallize over time. Agave nectar is made out of the purified sap of cactus-like desert plants. It is very popular in Mexico.

It is not heated during production and is considered raw, which make it very healthy like raw honey. Unlike raw honey, agave nectar is easy to spread beacuse of its consistency. If you like, you can omit the honey in the recipe and place 2 tablespoons of agave nectar without heating the content in the microwave.

You can make different versions by substituting any other sweeteners like maple syrup and adding extracts like vanilla to the agave/honey glaze, crushed cardamom seeds or a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon if you like.

The use of a blow torch is optional. I ilke using it for other desserts like creme brulees.

The caramelized kumkat slices and maraschino cherry are optional. You can serve the broiled grapefruit as is or add any kind of small fruits like berries with a little sprig of mint if you like.